Travel in Cuba

My family of three loves cruising, and we try going on one Royal Caribbean cruise each summer.

Whitening. Herbal. Charcoal. Color changing? I'm in the toothpaste aisle at Target, dumbfounded by a selection that runs several shelves long and as many high. After more than 20 years in Cuba, where Close-Up and La Perla were the only choices for most of that time, I'm overwhelmed by the number of options. If Target triggers paralysis, I shudder to think what terror Costco might elicit.

This essay is the first in a series about traveling after confinement. Look for the next one this summer.

In the 16th century, Antwerp, Belgium, with its busy docks along the river Scheldt, was a booming center of trade and one of Europe’s most influential cities, attracting artists, intellectuals and entrepreneurs. In 1576, Christophe Plantin ran a prestigious printing business (one of the continent’s largest) in the center of the city, a half-mile from where, a few decades later, the painter Peter Paul Rubens would build his own studio and semicircular sculpture hall, modeled after the Pantheon. Over the years, while other long-established port cities like Venice and Barcelona evolved into throbbing tourist centers, Belgium’s second city largely kept far away from the spotlight, yet it’s always quietly maintained a reputation as a place for innovation and creative expression. In the 1980s, it became an important fashion hub with the emergence of the Antwerp Six: a group of young designers, including Ann Demeulemeester, who had been educated at the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Miami is a sprawling metropolis containing a multitude of cultures and attractions. While that makes for an incredible trip, it can be tricky for first-timers to figure out the best place to base themselves.

From Paris to Buenos Aires, you’ll want to settle in and raise a glass at these famous literary bars, notebook at the ready.

Carnival Paradise crew members saving stranded sailors. (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line Media)

Travelers from around the world have decided their favorite hotels for 2024 and Tripadvisor has unveiled the final results of winners for its annual Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Hotels Awards. The awards celebrate this year’s highest rated hotels based on Tripadvisor reviews.

Don’t let the occasional big-chain coffee shop fool you – Miami runs on Cuban coffee.

It’s easy to get lost in the glitz and glam of Miami.

Miami is most known for being a hub of Latin American culture with a 24/7 party atmosphere, and that’s not wrong. But as one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country, the city clearly has even more to offer every sort of traveler. 

Towering above the iconic “Diana the Huntress” fountain on Mexico City‘s bustling Paseo de la Reforma, the 31-story The St. Regis Mexico City is a dramatic landmark in the heart of the metropolis.

Visitors to the Denver Zoo will quickly find out that the flamingos are local celebrities. Collectively, the 70 American and Chilean flamingos are known as flockstars and they’re each named after famous musicians. But recently, one of the zoo’s most endearing flamingos, Amott (named after Guitarist Michael Amott, a heavy metal rocker out of Sweden), gained some new fans far and wide after going viral on TikTok for hugging zoo guests.

The world is a big place, and there are oodles of countries to explore and wild experiences to relish. Many folks have saved up vacation days and squirreled away funds for a journey of a lifetime. The questions are: Where should you go and how should you start the planning process? The advantages of small group travel abound. You’ll meet new people from different places around the globe, logistics and safety protocols will be expertly considered, and a professional tour guide will lead the way so that all you have to do is show up and enjoy the ride.

Cuba received for the fourth consecutive year the award for Best MICE Organizer at the World MICE Awards 2023, in the field of tourism for meetings, congresses and incentive trips, The note from the tourism authorities of this country reflects satisfaction and the reference to the fact that it is an incredible testimony of efforts and hard work.

The magic of Miami is that “you can still discover places,” said the writer and producer Eric Newman. “It doesn’t feel like people have a chip on their shoulder. There’s a healthy civic pride and gratitude.”

We’re in the final stretch of winter, which means it’s time to start planning Spring Break trips and summer vacations. If you’re in need of some inspiration, Tripadvisor just released its 2024 Travelers’ Choice Award for the world’s best beaches.

Las Vegas is home to countless raucous, wide-open public places that are hard to miss. But the city also has several more subdued, discreet spots. Some are hidden in plain sight, a few require a little bit of research and some may even require a password or a knowing nod and nuanced directions from a fellow guest or an employee to get to the right place.

Cuba is counting on winter-weary Russians to help boost the Caribbean island nation’s ailing tourism sector in 2024, according to the Cuban ambassador in Moscow, after a disappointing 2023 saw visitors numbers fall short of the government’s goals.

Cuba is a Caribbean paradise, but because of the island’s tumultuous history and international relations, its visa rules can be complicated – especially for visitors from the US.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — if you live in the Washington, D.C. area that is. That’s because from Janury 15–21, 2024, it’s Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week, a bi-annual event held throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia each winter and summer. Whether you’re lucky enough to live in the DMV or are just passing through, it’s a great way to try out new restaurants and revisit old favorites for a fraction of the cost.